Love Makes Martyrs of Us All
by KitMarlowe
Summary: In a re-working of New Moon, Carlisle trades himself to free Edward from the Volturri. How far will Esme go to get him back, and what will be the final cost? PLEASE: Read the Warnings and A/Ns inside.
1. Now Is The Time To Be Strong

Title: Love Makes Martyrs Of Us All  
Rating: Overall, it will be Nc-17, but this chapter is PG-13  
Summary: In a re-working of New Moon, Carlisle trades himself to free Edward from the Volturri. How far will Esme go to get him back, and what will be the final cost?  
Disclaimer: I do not own Carlisle, Esme, Aro, or anyone else in this fic. Stephanie Meyer does. I'm not 100% sure she'd like what I've done with them, but I won't be making any money.  
A/N: This fic will, in the next chapter, contain description of rape. I know firsthand how triggering reading things like that can be, so please, don't read it if you think it'll effect you badly.  
Also: Alternate Universe where Alice got Carlisle, not Bella, to come with her to Italy.  
Title from a Mary Ann Douglas song

PLEASE read the A/N, I don't want anyone hurt by the material in the next chapter.

Esme looked up from the table she'd been staring at for two days when she heard a car pull into the garage. She was on her feet in an instant, rushing to open the door. Edward stepped out of Alice's car, paler than usual, and when he catches her eyes, he can only hold her gaze for a moment before he looks at the floor.

"Esme…Mother…I'm so sorr-" She cut him off, holding out her arms to him. He went into them immediately, shaking with relief and long-crushed emotion.

Esme gentled her oldest son into the house, settling them both on the sofa. She rocks him, glad to have him safe with her again. He shuddered against her, and she smoothed a lock of bronze hair, humming soothingly.

Alice entered the room, looking almost as wrecked as Edward. Esme looked up at her.

"Thank god you found him, Alice." She looked back at the door. "What happened…and where's Carlisle?" Alice's eyes closed for a moment, and Esme felt her face drain.

"Esme…we…Carlisle and I….we were too late. The Volturri already had Edward when we reached the city. He'd already shown himself…in the sunlight." Edward pressed closer to Esme's side and she held him tighter, nodding to Alice to go on. Alice took a deep breath.

"They wanted to kill him. They were going to kill him. But Carlisle…" she broke off, unable to look at Esme. Edward didn't look up, but forced himself to speak in his sister's place.

"Carlisle…called in every favor Aro owed him. He reminded him of their friendship, their years together." He hid his face in his hands. "He begged Aro on his knees, for me!"

Esme rubbed his back. "You would have done the same, Edward. No one blames you. And he let you go. So…" Alice swallowed.

"Aro said he would spare all our lives, and let Edward and I leave if…if Carlisle would take Edward's place in their prison."

Esme closed her eyes for a moment, trying to unhear what her children were telling her. Edward looked up at her.

"We'll get him back, Esme, I swear. We'll all go, we can fight, and-"

"No." Esme cut them off. "I go. Alone." Both of them gaped at her.

"Esme you can't! They'll kill you." Alice cried, dropping to her knees at her mother's feet. Esme shook her head.

"He created me, Alice. He…saved me. Every day of my life belongs to him." She looked down at her lap, and couldn't stop her breath from catching. "More than that…he is my husband. I need him. I've lived for him, and I will die for him." She looked at them both, raw emotion in her eyes.

"What would you do?"

It took two days to reach Volterra, and another to get past the city's gates. She fed daily, knowing she'll need the strength to face the Volturri. And the moment she entered Volterra, her planning was proved wise. Demitri and Felix found her immediately, their eyes full of glittering hunger. Her thoughts whirled around her head (wherearetheykeepinghimohgodisheevenaliveohCarlislei'llfindyoupleasepleasebealiveplease) but she kept her composure as they led her through the catacombs, and by the time she finally sees Aro, her fear has turned to hate.

"Where is my husband, Aro." She demanded, her voice low and cold and new to her. Aro simply smiled at her.

"Dear Esme Cullen! I knew it wouldn't be long before we met you." He effused, reaching to embrace her. She pulled away from him, not bothering to ask how he knew her. Edward had explained Aro's gifts. She swallowed hard, and squared her shoulders.

"I'm a patient woman, Aro. I do have five teenagers. But when it comes to Carlisle, I refuse to play your games. You give him to me now, or, God as my witness, before this is over? I will look down on your corpse and smile."

Her words had little effect if any. Aro mearly laughed, clapping his hands.

"Such spirit! I'm impressed, my dear." He shook his head. "Carlisle is wrong about you. His thoughts showed me a dove, but here stands a lioness." He waved a hand at the guard. "Leave us, dear ones. Mrs. Cullen and I must speak in private."

The guard filed from the room, and Aro seated himself in one of this high back chairs behind the long stone table.

"Let me be frank, Mrs. Cullen, Esme, if I may?" She simply glared at him, but he continued. "The truth of the matter is, you don't have much to offer me. You have no powers, no special skills. And no one hear needs a mother."

"I don't have much, but whatever you want, it's yours. Take my life, if you wish." She held her head up, daring him to mock her.

He studied her intently. "And you would give it up that easily? Martyrdom must be the Cullen curse."

She shook her head, her eyes and mind sure. "My life was his the moment his lips touched my throat."

Aro rose from his chair, still staring at her. "You are full of convictions, dear girl. But tell me…" he was beside her in an instant, his impassive stare more terrifying than any anger. "How much further than that would you go? You would give up your life but what else?"

She held still as she could, staring ahead, not daring to catch his eyes. "What do you mean?"

He twirled a strand of caramel hair around his fingers, and whispered in her ear, almost caressingly. "Would you prostitute yourself, to save him?"


	2. I'm Poisoned From This Moment

Disclaimer: I do not own Carlisle, Esme, Aro, or anyone else in this fic. Stephanie Meyer does. She would probably be very upset if she saw what I was doing with them.

A/N: First, thanks to all the people who reviewed and added me to lists of favorites! I was really worried about this story, for the content, and I'm so glad people liked it. I was gonna add this chapter next week, but…I broke my foot. XD So, I'll be updating a bit more regularly from my bed-ridden state.

This chapter contains description of rape. Please please, don't read it if it will be triggering or disturbing to you. Your mental health is more important.

Esme stepped back from him, shock crossing her face as her mind wrapped around his words. Aro's hand was a vice grip on her wrist, and for a moment she thought he might break it.

"A simple question. Would you give you your body to me? Would you surrender your pride, your dignity, your…fidelity, to save your husband?"  
Esme felt as though the walls were closing. Her vision went hazy, and she staggered back, away from Aro's cold eyes. "You…you're asking me too-"

"Yes." He nodded calmly. "Exchange a sexual favor for the release of your husband. Of course…" he smiled. "You can always refuse. If he's not worth it-" Esme's dark look silenced him, but his smiled widened. He knew he had won.

Esme dropped her eyes. "You give me your word. You give me your word you'll let us both leave." Aro nodded, his smiled triumphant.  
"Yes, my word. On the stones of Volterra, you will leave in peace."

Esme couldn't look at him, but she knew her choice was made. "Alright…I agree."

Aro smiled, a sinister grimace of the mouth, and he went back to the high chairs behind the table. He steepled his fingers, staring at her. "Remove your clothes."

Esme's breath caught in her throat, but she bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing, and starred hard at the wall over his head as she unknotted her scarf. She slowly unbuttoned her coat, and let both pieces fall to the floor. She could feel his eyes on her, tearing through her clothes, her flesh, into her very heart. She shut her eyes, drawing up a picture of Carlisle in her mind. Letting his face give her strength, she let her dress slip off her shoulders and crumple to the floor. She stepped out of it and her shoes.

Aro's sigh of desire brought the chill of fear she'd been fighting and she shuttered visibly.

"Continue." He intoned. She lowered her eyes, fighting a wave of panic as she removed the rest of her clothes.

She'd never been bare before Charles. It wasn't deemed seemly for husbands and wives to see each other like that. Carlisle had been the first man to see her naked, and he taught her there was nothing to be ashamed off. He made her feel beautiful for the first time in her life. But standing here, naked before Aro's hungry gaze, she felt as disgusting and used as she had before he had entered her life.

The rush of air and scent of old dust as Aro came near her brought her slamming back into the present. She had steeled herself for this, for the first touch from his unfamiliar hand. But when his fingers brushed her neck and shoulder, her body instinctively flinched away. Aro's hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her hard against his body. She fought the urge to tremble and held as still as she could, praying it would all be over soon.

"You are indeed beautiful, Esme." He whispered, his hand caressing her breast and she swallowed to hold back a sob. "Carlisle is a lucky man indeed." His hands continued to roam over her body as his lips moved over her throat, leaving her fighting for control, not to run or scream, or beg him to please please get away from her.

"Tell me, do you often lie together?" he moved to her other side, stroking her hair.

"Is he gentle, my dear? He always was a kind heart. Does he coax reactions from you, reactions you never thought a lady could have?" Still, she remained silent. She had promised her body, but she refused to be his toy.

Aro seemed to find her silence amusing. He slid his lips along her jaw, chuckling as a whimper escaped her throat. "He hardly knows you. He lives to protect you, and yet here you are, saving him." His lips pressed to her ear. "I certainly hope you can, even after you're released. We've been starving him. And he wasn't well fed to begin with. If we offered him a human now, what do you think he would do?"

Esme felt white hot rage boil through her, and everything faded to red. Before she knew what she was doing, she'd coiled her arm and struck him as hard as she could across the mouth. It did little, of course, but his eyes went from amused to murderous in seconds.

"On the table. Now." He ordered. She didn't move, stunned by the malice in his garnet eyes. His lips pulled back into a snarl, and he shoved her, hard, onto the stone table. She gasped at the pain as the jagged surface dug into her back, opening long cuts. He was on her an instant later, his hands forcing her legs apart. She nearly gagged, revulsion and horror flooding her, at him, and at herself. She thought of Carlisle, her Carlisle, alone and hungry in some cold cell, and held back a sob. She could do this. She could survive this, and they would be together again.

But no amount of hope or love could have stopped her from crying out when he roughly entered her. The chill in the room, the jagged tearing of the table, even his hands on her wrists vanished in the burn of his intrusion. He tore into her body again, and again, and she was soon sobbing, eyes clamped tightly shut. A thin trickle of blood and venom slid down her leg, and for the first time nearly eighty years, Esme Cullen prayed for death.


	3. Promises Sweeten The Blow

Disclaimer: I do not own Carlisle, Esme, Aro, or anyone else in this fic. Stephanie Meyer does. She would probably be very upset if she saw what I was doing with them.

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts. You have no idea how much they make my day.  
I'm so glad people are enjoying this story. I was really worried to post it, but your response has made me confident that it will be well-received all the way though.  
Additional Note: The song behind his chapter is "My Skin" by Natalie Merchant.

She wished she still had a heartbeat. It would have been a comfort, a steady, unchanging sound to distract her thoughts. Instead, she could only try to block the sounds of Aro dressing, straightening his clothes, humming to himself, while she lay, broken and hurting, a naked sacrifice to a cruel god.

Aro approached, and stroked her back gently. She flinched, physically and audibly, a gasping sob she couldn't hold back. She just couldn't find the will to fight him anymore.

"I'll give you a moment to dress, my dear, and I'll send someone to take you to your husband." He stroked his hand down her back and bent to kiss her hair. She scrambled away, huddling at the corner of the table. He chuckled, and went to the door. She listened closely, hearing it open. But before it closed, his voice drifted back across the room.

"Do give my love to Carlisle."

Esme's heart, already in so many pieces, shattered into just a few more. She stood shakily, trying not to think of the implication of his words. Carlisle has of course known Aro for years, before she had ever been born. They'd been friends for centuries. He would never believe his old mentor was capable of…of this.

She slipped her clothes back on, hissing as the fabric brushed her raw back. She wrapped her coat around her, as though the light blue wool would keep Carlisle from learning the truth, because in that moment, she had decided: she would never, could never tell her husband. It was just…one more way she had to chosen to protect him.

The door slowly slid open and Demitri entered, a knowing smirk on his face. If she hadn't felt so downtrodden, so broken, she would have struck him. Instead, she sighed, and looked away, only looking up when he held the door for her, and led her through the catacombs. She barely had a thought the whole journey, other than seeing Carlisle. But when they finally reached the cells, she found she wasn't at all prepared for the state he was in.

His blonde hair was dirty, and disheveled, and they had taken his clothes. Long bloodless whip weals criss-crossed his pale skin. He was motionless in the middle of the cell, and she pressed against the bars desperately as Demitri unlocked the door. The moment it was open she was on her knees beside him, pulling him gently into her arms.

He was far too pale, his eyes closed, marks here and there on his face where he had been struck. As she held him to her, all of her own torments washed away in the wake of seeing him like this.

His eyes blinked slowly open, pitch black and full of a painful hope.

"Es-Esme?"

She nodded, her eyes closing in desperate relief as he brushed his fingers across her face.

"What are yo-you doing here?" he whispered, his voice rough and dry. She smiled, and she knew if she'd been human, her eyes would have filled with tears.

"I couldn't leave you here. When Edward and Alice returned, and told me what had happened, I got here as fast as I could."

"Aro…you must have seen Aro…" His eyes fluttered shut before he could see her wince.

"Yes… I...I did. He said I could bring you home, we are both free to leave." He sighed with relief, his eyes opening, swimming with love and admiration.

"My brave Esme…sweet brave Esme…" he swallowed. "I…I need your help to stand…"

"When did you last feed?" she asked, knowing the answer. He coughed, smiling wryly.

"Two days before we came. And…I've lost what blood I had since." She nodded, and pulled him up closer to her, brushing her hair back from her throat. His eyes widened, fixed on her neck.

"Esme, I couldn't…"

"I fed mere hours ago, Carlisle. I have enough to spare. Drink, gain strength." He leaned towards her, licking his lips, and, gently as he could, bit into her throat.

She gasped as he drank thirstily, blood welling up from the wound. She stroked his hair, holding him close until he pulled back, breathing hard. He looked up at her, eyes slightly amber.

"I could…I could taste you in the blood." He sat up slowly. "Oh, Esme…" he wrapped his arms around her, and she dove into them, burying herself in his arms. He held her close for a moment, and then whispered, "Can we leave here now?" She sat back, looking at his bare body.

"We'll have to find you some clothes…" she looked around, and saw where someone had laid dark pants and shirt in the cell doorway. She brought them to him, and swallowed hard as he dressed, seeing where he'd been beaten. He smiled at her. "It looks worse than it is." She nodded, and took the hand he offered.

"Come on, let's go home."

They called the children once they were well outside the city, and Rosalie arranged a flight for them. Esme let Carlisle do the talking, knowing she could only avoid Alice and Edward for so long. The flight home, she watched the movie they played, a silly comedy that took her mind off the events of Volterra. Carlisle held tight to her hands and stroked her hair, but left her to her thoughts, and for a moment, she thought she might be able to leave everything that had happened behind.

But when they landed, and met their family at the gate, through all the hugging, laughter, and reassurances, she saw Alice and Edward's eyes, staring at her with such disbelief, that she knew she couldn't escape the past. Her children knew exactly what had happened, and now, she would never be free.


	4. Heaven Bend, To Take My Hand

Disclaimer: I continue to own absolutely nothing written about here. If this changes, I will let you know.  
A/N: Sorry a million times for the length of time it took to get this up. I move into my dorm on Wednesday, so I've been packing. Chapter Five is in the works, plus an epilogue where someone takes a trip to Italy… Enjoy, and please review. They make my day.

"Esme?"

Esme looked up, and sighed when she saw Alice and Edward framed in the doorway of her sitting room. The others had insisted on taking Carlisle hunting, but it seemed as though her two most perceptive children had something they wanted to say. She braced herself, setting aside the book she'd been staring at, and turned, waiting for condemnation.

As ever, they surprised her. Alice moved first, flying across the room into her arms, clinging to her.

"Oh, Esme!" she cried, hiding her face in Esme's shoulder. Esme stroked her spiky hair as Edward approached, his face a mask of abject despair. She reached for him with her other hand, and he took it shakily, sinking to his knees beside her. The three sat together in silence for a long moment, before someone finally broke the grief-filled air.

"Why?"

Esme closed her eyes, but opened them again swiftly, images flooding her mind too quickly to stop.

"It was…what I had to do, to get Carlisle back. It was my only option." Alice looked up at her.

"Have you told him?"

Esme shook her head hard, and Edward stroked her hand gently.

"No. No, I haven't. I can't…it…would destroy us." Her daughter stared at her in shock.

"You have to tell him! Esme, Mother, you can't keep this inside, it'll destroy YOU!" She stood, leaving Esme feeling strangely adrift without her tiny anchor, and looked at Edward. He nodded, and stood also.

"Esme…if you don't tell Carlisle, we will."

She felt her heart sink, the same feeling of closing in walls, the feeling of being trapped. Tell her husband? Tell him, that his oldest friend had belittled, abused and raped his wife? He'd never believe her. And even if he did…he'd never look at her the same. She would be broken to his perfect eyes, tainted goods.

She couldn't risk her heart to that.

"You can't…please, Edward. I can't…I can't bear to tell him."

"Tell me what?" Esme froze, looking past her children, to where Carlisle was standing in the doorway. His eyes were molten gold, sparkling from a fresh kill. He patted Edward on the shoulder as he passed, coming to sit in the chair adjacent to her.

"Tell me what, love?" Esme looked at Alice and Edward desperately, but both of them where quietly slipping out. Alice met her eyes before she pulled the door shut, reassuring and encouraging. Esme took a deep breath. Maybe she could do this. And her children would be right outside. They didn't judge her for her choice. And if they didn't, how could her husband, who loved her above all things?

Didn't he?

Carlisle reached for her hand. "You should have come with us, Esme. It's beautiful outside." His other hand touched her face, pulling her eyes up to meet his. "When did you last hunt, love? Your eyes are dark." She pulled away from his hand, looking back at her lap.

"I fed when I was in Italy. I haven't really been…in the mood for a hunt since." Carlisle pursed his lips, and she heard the question before he asked it.

"Esme…what happened in Volterra? I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything. What happened when you spoke to Aro?"

She flinched before she could stop herself, and this time, he didn't miss it.  
"Something did happen, didn't it? Esme, you've got to tell me, what did Aro say to you?  
She shook her head. "Please, don't ask me that. Don't ask me about him, I can't tell you." She looked up at him, dark eyes pleading. He moved to kneel in front of her, clasping her face in his hands.

"Esme, you're scaring me. Please, what happened? You can tell me. I won't hurt you."

She gasped, pain welling up from her stomach to her heart, and her secret, her shameful choice that she would never have changed, swelled in her soul, forcing the words from her mouth.  
"Aro made a deal with me." She said, her mind still reeling. "He would release you to me, and let us leave in peace, if…" she stopped, tearing away from his hands, unable to look at him as she told him of all the betrayals he'd suffered while he was locked in a cell.

"If I gave myself to him."

The room seemed to shrink in the silence that followed. She dared a look at her husband, unable to continue to sit in the dead air.

His face broke her heart all over again. His eyes were begging her to tell him it wasn't true. The war between disbelief that his friend could do something so unthinkable, and the knowledge that his wife would never lie to him was clear to see, and she wished she could tell him it wasn't true, and save him from the pain.

"He…he forced himself upon you? And you, you permitted it, to save me?" Esme nodded, biting hard into her lower lip, aching to throw herself into his arms. His hands left her face and he stood, staring down at her in horror.

"How could you?"

Her children had been wrong. She shut her eyes, trying to block out his face, his pained expression. He couldn't forgive her this. Aro had been right. She had given away her faithfulness to Carlisle, and no matter how good the intentions, it was still a black mark she could never erase.

She heard him turn and leave the room, heard the flurried whispers between him and Edward, heard Alice rush across the room to her, felt her arms go around her, before everything around her faded in the roar of grief that swept through her body, and crushed her.


	5. In The Pain, There is Healing

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own it. Still wish I did. Tho it would be 'The Carlisle and Esme Show' if I did…

A/N: Oh my god, did I ever mean to have this up before now. But these crazy people seem to think college is for CLASS and not for writing, so, in conclusion, I'M SORRY!  
This is the last chapter chapter. There will be an epilogue, you'll see why at the end. It's been good to write this story; it's been in me too long. I'm so thankful to everyone who reviewed, and hope you guys like this chapter, and keep reading me in the future!  
ALSO: Those of you on my alert list, I AM SO SORRY about the spam. Something screwed up with this chapter, and I had to re-upload the whole thing. I think it's working now, though. Thanks for sticking with me!

Esme couldn't remember how exactly she'd managed to get up two flights of stairs to her own bedroom, but she suspected Alice had something to do with it. She curled herself smaller where she lay in the midst of a sea of familiar blankets and pillows, feeling for the pieces of her heart. Carlisle's words playing over and over in her mind.  
"_How could you_."  
"_HOW could you_?"  
Really, she knew exactly how she could. Carlisle was the most precious thing in the world to her, and she would break herself a thousand times if it kept him from being broken once. She thought he would see that, but…  
Her body shook as the memories flooded her mind. Carlisle's aghast face and Aro's triumphant one swam together in her mind, and she tried to hold her body still, but couldn't stop the dry sob that escaped her lips.

A strong familiar arm wound it's way around her waist, steadying her slightly, a soft hand stroking her hair, a soothing whisper whispering words her tired mind wouldn't process. The only thing it did know was-

"Carlisle?" she sat up, twisting around, barely daring to look at him, fearing her overworked mind had created him for comfort. But signs of reality lingered on him, from his tired eyes, to his disarrayed hair, where he'd tugged his fingers through it too often. Or his shirt, with it's top two buttons undone, a sure sign he was upset, or frustrated.

"Esme…" he looked at her, anguished. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. I was wrong before, I spoke without thinking, without knowing…" He broke off, cupping her face in his hands. She closed her eyes, his touch a blissfully cool balm for her heart.

"I don't know how I could ask you to forgive me. I don't know if I should, if you can." The pain in his eyes was too much for her, and she shook her head.

"It's alright. I'm the one in the wrong." He looked at her, horrified.

"Dear God, Esme…what you did was…unthinkable." She winced, pulling away from his hands, but he caught her by the shoulders, and she couldn't bring herself to look away from his face.

"It's unthinkable, that you would give so much to save me. It's unbelievable that you would let him…" he broke off, his eyes dark with rage, and she stroked his hand as he took a few calming breaths.

"It's among the worst things that could happen to a person, and you put yourself through it for me." He looked at her brokenly. "You do not need forgiveness, love, I do. For letting him hurt you, and for hurting you myself." He looked away from her, and she watched him hide a sob under his breath.

"I know I don't deserve it, I don't believe I ever will, but…if there was ever some way you could forgive me-" She silenced him with a hand over his lips.

"I forgive you." She whispered, and he let out a breath.

"God, Esme…" he looked like he would argue, but she stopped him.

"Would you not do as much?"

He shuddered at the thought, but nodded. "Yes…yes, I would, and so much more but…you are far more precious than I."

Esme smiled, the first time in days. "Oh Carlisle. I love you. I live for you, I'd die for you. I'll fight for you, and I'll surrender for you."

"But what can I do for you?" his eyes begged, still not able to believe he was truly forgiven. She swallowed hard, and asked him for the one thing she'd wanted since she'd been gotten back from Italy.

"Could you…would you just…hold me? I feel like I'm going to fly apart and I…I need you. Please?"

Carlisle's face softened, and he immediately drew her to him, resting against their headboard. She pillowed her head on his chest as he tucked the blankets around her, and she felt instantly safer, surrounded by familiar smells and textures. But dearest of all was the warmth of him, his arms around her, one stroking her back, the other brushing her hair and face. She sighed, tucking herself closer to him. Things were not normal yet, she knew. Her mind was still scarred, her body still pained and unwilling to forget. But her heart was well on its way to healing, and as she closed her eyes, lulled to relaxation by Carlisle's steady hands, she knew that would do for now.

* * *

Alice and Edward peaked into the room an hour later. Carlisle beckoned them in, motioning for them to be quiet. Esme was resting peacefully against him, her breathing steady. She wasn't asleep, he knew, but she was deeply relaxed and Carlisle would be damned if anything disturbed her.

Alice spoke first. "Did you…is she…you two are…" She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her eyes flying from Esme to Carlisle, worried. Edward stood beside her, also looking concernedly at his mother.

Carlisle sighed and looked down at his wife tenderly. "She will be alright. I don't know when, or how, but I'll anything she wants to help."

"We'll help." Alice said firmly, and Edward nodded vigorously. Carlisle smiled.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me now." He looked up from Esme's face, to Alice.

"I..I want to take her to the island. I think the sun would do her good, a chance to get away for a while."

"And give you both time to heal." Alice added sagely. Carlisle nodded.

"I hope so."

Alice nodded, her mind already on preparations. "I'll have you there by next week." She kissed Esme gently on the cheek, and scampered out of the room to plan.

Edward took his sister's place on the bed, and watched his father gaze at his wife with pure adoration. Then, without looking up, Carlisle spoke, and his voice was icily cold.

"There should be a plane to Italy within the next few days."

"Carlisle?" Carlisle looked up at him, all the rage and anguish he'd hidden from Esme written for his son to read.

"I need to be on that plane."


End file.
